Turntable Light Sequencer

[Benjamin] built a sequencer that uses a turntable and light sensors to lay down a funky beat. If you like creepy videos with repeated gratuitous corderoy-clad rear-ends we’ve got you covered after the break. Art film aside, he’s got an interesting project. Four light sensors are mounted below the turning record with LEDs hovering above. His hatred for old LP records is apparent because holes must be drilled in a disc for the light to shine through. The four notes in the sequence can be altered in voice and color, along with controls for motor speed and direction. The project also has four manual inputs to add some variety to the repetitive beat sequence. It’s a bit less practical than the penny sequencer but fun none-the-less.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RScVAiUphvQ]

[Thanks Cole]

31 thoughts on “Turntable Light Sequencer

  1. This is really dumb. He’s not making any noises an 8-bit mcu couldn’t, and he has to drill holes in records to use it, and he can’t just change them.

    Why use the punch cards when we have multi-touch, or even arcade buttons! WTF.

  2. Seriously… I was expecting the thing to trigger preset sounds. Would have been sweet to interface this to a sid chip or something. Like, a hole triggers a note, the length of the hole determines the length of the note, and the different sensors could be for the different voices.

    Just sayin…

  3. What a bunch of haters. Just think, he could be drilling holes in all of the disco records that weren’t blown up on Disco Demolition Night. This man is a hero.

    Seriously, though, I actually kind of dig this thing. More than a passing resemblance to the Drum Buddy, I agree.

  4. And to think he drilled up one of the three known copies of Bob Dylan’s Freewheelin’ first pressing to (badly) reinvent the music box. I get the feeling that epileptics would have seizures around that and at the risk of being a hater I didn’t see any sequencing, just amplification of noise generated by a photocell.

  5. I think this is amazing and a piece of art that works. It’s not supposed to be as useful as a sequencer or trigger samples, that would defeat the analog nature of the whole piece. It’s a new idea that could work with really old technology, that’s why it fit so well with the Moogerfooger pedal and all the corduroy. Like steam punk but 1969. Not all musical instruments are supposed to make techno to blast in your decal-covered fartcan honda civics, don’t you people have any culture? I know that sounded mean, and I like hondas, but seriously this guy made a cool funny deal and if it was in an art gallery or in a museum as an actual vintage device you probably would think it was pretty cool.

  6. mother of god, I could not make it thru 1:30

    It sounded like a morbidly obese man talking while someone played an aphex twin song in reverse.

    the only sound I found tolerable was the drill in the beginning, at least that did not make me cringe

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  8. To be honest – the cinematography made this video interesting. I smirked at the sneakers.

    As for the device – nifty, but impracticle. Perfect prop for the rest of the video to work around.

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